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Friday, 19 December 2014

I came across this in the depths of my computer while looking for some material for a sermon I have to preach. It's old but, for once, it's an old one I quite like. Also, somewhat unusually, it's actually a full script. For both these reasons I thought I'd stick it up here.

Everybody's Looking For
Something

WBC
Carols By Candlelight 2003

The story of course is set
in what we now call the middle east.

It's a story of how powerful men travelled many miles to look for a
great ruler.

It's a story of how they eventually find him, not in the capital city,
but in an obscure village in a rural part of the country in the most surprising
of circumstances.

And it's the story of how the discovery led to great rejoicing far and
wide.

But enough about the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Our concern is today is with
a very different kind of ruler – but one who also inspired much
searching.

In fact it's a story where every body seems to be looking for
something.

Caesar Augustuswas searching out information, facts and figures
about the greatness of his empire – how proud he must have been.

Mary and Josephare looking for a place for the night – desperately
looking.

The angels, no doubt
bursting with the kind of eager anticipation you feel when you've got good news
to share, come to seek out the shepherds.

(Shepherds)Who then trip off filled with curiosity to
check out the heavenly story – a saviour? The lord Messiah? A baby in Bethlehem?

Then there's those determined magi
– over five hundred miles because what they've read in the stars – a mysterious
king – one who merits the costliest gifts.

Even Herod was on the look
out – fearfully scouring his domain – petrified that he might be overthrown one
day and determined to do what ever it takes to save his skin.

Then in the bit of the story that we don't usually get to, someone
who's been waiting, looking out for such a long time, old man Simeon who despite his failing eye-sight sees more clearly
than any – sees that the baby in the temple, cradled nervously by this teenage
mum really is a little bundle of joy – in the way that all babies are supposed
to be but also in a special way that will only ever apply to this baby.He sees that this is the salvation of God the
very light of the world and he sees that his waiting and searching and his life
itself is now over, complete, brought to a good end.

That sense that so many have, that they still haven't found what they
are looking for.

That sense is of course a
part of the human condition long since recognised by many.That sense that there must be more to
life.That this can't be all that there
is to it.That feeling of somehow being destined
for something more than the ad men and the careers advisers have to offer.

It's a feeling that inspires many people to set off on many different
searches.

From the driven workaholic to
the superficial shopaholic. From
those few who embark on religious quests
to the many millions who simply drift
through life with a nagging question which they mostly manage to ignore and
which only occasionally prompts them to consider looking for a serious answer.

The Christian faith of
course has long had it's own take on this phenomenon.Of all those who have tried to express it no
one has done a better job than an African bishop who lived 1700 years ago. Augustine put it in the form of prayer to
God:

“You have made us for
yourself and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.”

In other words every human being is created and destined to live life
in relationship with God.And whether
they realise it or not that is what
everyone is looking for.

But there's another part of
the Christian take on this phenomenon and it's this that makes Christmas
and indeed the whole Christian story such good
news.

What none of those seekers in the Christmas story quite grasped is that
there was someone else on a search.While they were all looking for the baby, through
the baby God was looking for them.

You see the Christian faith is
not so much about us looking for God as it is about the incredible news that
God has come looking for us.When
the baby grew up he put it straight:

“I
came to seek and to save what is lost”

We may nor realise that we will never truly be at peace till we get to
know him – but he does and he comes to offer that which we all need – a real life, here and now relationship with
our creator.

So the message of Christmas is “Stop
your looking and allow yourself to be found”.Allow yourself to be found just as you are,
whether you are an outsider like the magi,
down to earth and plain ordinary like the
shepherds or as fearful as Herod.Allow yourself to be found simply by saying,
“Here I am Lord, let’s get to know each other”.

If you want to know more
talk, to one of your Christian friends.Ask them what it's like to be found by God. My prayer for you this Christmas is that
everyone of you will find what you are looking for.

Happy Christmas.

(Here's a link to a downloadable pdf of this sermon on my Scribd page.)

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Propositioned, she consents and finds herself made pregnant.Like millions before her
and billions since?She hopes, she
fears, she wonders.Pregnancy, the path down
which she stares to life’s deep places. Deep
joy and deep despair.The intimate
connection only mothers know.The pain
of parting with a part of you.Like
millions before and billions since?The
gift of a child.Her very own?Not really.Not for long. The gift of a
child, not to her but through her.Given
for others.And so she hurts and so she sings.For evermore rendered blue she sings her
blues.She sings from deep places. She
sings in painful exaltation.She sings the
glory of God discovered in what not-her-child will do for others.It hurts.She sings.Magnificent.